Down These Mean Streets (Old Time Radio Detectives)
Episodes
Episode 74 - Drop the Hammer (That Hammer Guy)
31 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Mickey Spillane's hard-boiled private eye Mike Hammer dispensed justice with a blast or two from his .45 in some of the genre's hardest, most violent ...
Episode 73 - Radio's Poetic Policeman (Broadway is My Beat)
24 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
It's back to the Big Apple for two more cases of Detective Danny Clover. Larry Thor stars as the sharp, philosophical detective in Broadway is My Beat...
Episode 72 - Dogged Detection (Bulldog Drummond)
17 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The debonair and daring Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond steps out of the night and into one of his radio adventures. H.C. McNeile's adventurer and det...
Episode 71 - Hitched (Lux Radio Theatre)
13 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate the birthday of Alfred Hitchcock, we present a bonus episode of "Down These Mean Streets" dedicated to the big screen master of suspense....
Episode 70 - Adventure Wanted (Box 13)
10 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Alan Ladd is back as mystery writer Dan Holiday in Box 13. Holiday's figured out a way to beat writer's block: he runs a classified ad hiring himself ...
Episode 69 - Twist of Lime (Lives of Harry Lime)
03 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Orson Welles reprises his Third Man film role in the prequel radio series The Lives of Harry Lime. His nefarious traits are toned down (somewhat) as w...
Episode 68 - Gutter, Prison, or Grave (Adventures of Philip Marlowe)
27 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
July 23rd marked the 126th anniversary of Raymond Chandler's birth, and we're saluting the author and his most famous character - private detective Ph...
Episode 67 - X Marks the Spot (Man Called X)
20 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
British big screen star Herbert Marshall finds danger at every turn as secret agent Ken Thurston, aka The Man Called X. From 1944 to 1952, Thurston cr...
Episode 66 - The Anniversary Caper (Adventures of Sam Spade)
13 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
"The greatest private detective of them all" hit radio on July 12, 1946 in The Adventures of Sam Spade. In honor of his anniversary, we'll hear Howard...
Episode 65 - Usual Suspects (The Line-Up)
06 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Bill Johnstone and Wally Maher are back on the beat in two more episodes of The Line-Up. Join them as they grill suspects and close the book on crime ...
Episode 64 - Not Easy Being Green (Green Lama)
29 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Frees stars as Jethro Dumont, the wealthy American who studied Buddhism in Tibet and returned to his home country to fight crime as The Green Lam...
Episode 63 - Queen for a Day (Ellery Queen)
22 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Master detective Ellery Queen made his radio debut seventy-five years ago this month, and we're celebrating with two of the sleuth's on-the-air advent...
Episode 62 - You Can't Go Holmes Again (Sherlock Holmes & Tales of Fatima)
15 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Basil Rathbone donned the deerstalker cap in fourteen films as Sherlock Holmes and portrayed the legendary detective on radio for seven years. Frustra...
Episode 61 - The Mohr the Merrier (Nero Wolfe, Johnny Dollar, & Philip Marlowe)
08 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Gerald Mohr, one of the greatest actors of the Golden Age of Radio, was born 100 years ago this week. To mark his centennial anniversary, we'll hear M...
Episode 60 - Collector of Crime (Casebook of Gregory Hood)
01 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Gale Gordon (Principal Conklin of Our Miss Brooks) stars as Gregory Hood, importer and amateur detective, in The Casebook of Gregory Hood. An unoffic...
Episode 59 - Nick and Nora (Lux Radio Theatre)
25 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
William Powell and Myrna Loy recreate their film roles of Nick and Nora Charles in this radio adaptation of The Thin Man. Dashiell Hammett's story of ...
Episode 58 - Married with Murder (Adventures of the Abbotts)
18 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Frances Crane's married sleuths Pat and Jean Abbott brought their colorful capers to radio in The Adventures of the Abbotts. Pat is a private eye by t...
Episode 57 - Sophisticated Sleuthing (Philo Vance)
11 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
S.S. Van Dine's dapper detective Philo Vance starred in twelve novels and over a dozen films before he came to radio. Played on screen by William Powe...
Episode 56 - Citizen Holmes (Mercury Theatre On the Air)
04 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Just a month before they terrified the nation with "The War of the Worlds," Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre On the Air presented an adaptation of...
Episode 55 - Diamond Anniversary (Richard Diamond, Private Detective)
27 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Sixty-five years ago this week, Richard Diamond, Private Detective premiered on NBC, and listeners were introduced to Dick Powell as radio's singing p...
Episode 54 - Nick of Time (Nick Carter, Master Detective)
20 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Carter is one of the detective world's oldest characters, predating Sherlock Holmes by more than a year. He thrilled fans in dime novels, pulp ...
Episode 53 - Birds of a Feather (The Falcon)
13 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Les Damon stars as Michael Waring, aka The Falcon, a suave private eye who offered "a hand to oppressed men and an eye toward repressed women." The ...
Episode 52 - Weave a Tangled Webb (Dragnet & Pat Novak)
06 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In honor of his birthday, "Down These Mean Streets" presents an hour of old time radio crime drama starring the incomparable Jack Webb. First, he's ...
Episode 51 - Holy Anniversary, Batman! (Adventures of Superman)
02 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In honor of Batman's 75th anniversary, we present a bonus podcast featuring some of the Caped Crusader's radio adventures. We'll hear Batman and Rob...
Episode 50 - Top Dollar (Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar)
30 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Bob Bailey stars as "the man with the action packed expense account" in a complete five-part adventure of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. From 1955 thro...
Episode 49 - Perfectly Frank (Night Beat & Blue Beetle)
23 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Frank Lovejoy was one of the busiest actors during the Golden Age of Radio, and we're saluting him this week with an hour of his performances as crime...
Episode 48 - The Defense Rests (Defense Attorney)
16 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Celebrate the birthday of actress Mercedes McCambridge with an hour of Defense Attorney. The Oscar winner stars as crusading lawyer Martha Ellis Bry...
Episode 47 - Friend to Those Who Have No Friend (Boston Blackie)
09 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
It's another adventure of Boston Blackie, gentleman thief turned gumshoe. After Chester Morris' 1944 summer run, Richard Kollmar stepped in and star...
Episode 46 - Home Sweet Homicide (Mr. and Mrs. North)
02 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Joseph Curtin and Alice Frost star as Mr. and Mrs. North, a pair of amateur married sleuths who can't seem to avoid landing neck-deep in trouble. Pu...
Episode 45 - Spade and the Sweet Tooth (Suspense)
23 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Howard Duff stars as Sam Spade in an hour-long episode of "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" - Suspense. It's "The Kandy Tooth," a story origi...
Episode 44 - Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of (Academy Award)
16 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet recreate their film roles in this radio adaptation of The Maltese Falcon. John Huston's film of ...
Episode 43 - Fate Moves its Huge Hand (Gunsmoke & Philip Marlowe)
09 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we present a tribute to one of the titans of the Golden Age of Radio - William Conrad. First, Conrad stars in his signature role of Matt ...
Episode 42 - The Rain in Spain (Private Files of Rex Saunders)
02 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Rex Harrison (Professor Henry Higgins himself) stars as a suave private detective in The Private Files of Rex Saunders. Along with his loyal assista...
Episode 41 - Glenn and Gardner (Christopher London)
26 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The big screen and best-seller worlds collide this week when Glenn Ford and Erle Stanley Gardner team up to bring you Christopher London. Ford stars...
Episode 40 - Big Man, Big Birthday (The Fat Man)
19 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In January 1946, The Fat Man premiered on ABC. We're celebrating the anniversary with an hour of J. Scott Smart as Dashiell Hammett's extra large sl...
Episode 39 - One in the Chamber (Crime and Peter Chambers)
12 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dane Clark stars as the titular private eye in Crime and Peter Chambers, a short-lived series drawn from the pages of Henry Kane's novels. Chambers ...
Episode 38 - Halos and Homicides (The Saint)
05 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
We kick off 2014 with an hour of "the Robin Hood of modern crime" - The Saint. Leslie Charteris' debonair detective premiered on American radio on J...
Episode 37 - Crime Takes a Holiday (Nero Wolfe & Sherlock Holmes)
22 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
"Down These Mean Streets" wraps up 2013 with an hour of holiday adventures from two old time radio detectives. First, Sydney Greenstreet stars as Ne...
Episode 36 - Cairo Capers (Rocky Jordan)
15 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
It's off to Egypt for international intrigue and adventure with Rocky Jordan. Jack Moyles stars as the American ex-pat and nightclub owner who winds...
Episode 35 - One Hot Set (Pete Kelly's Blues)
08 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Webb blends jazz with downbeat crime drama in Pete Kelly's Blues. This short-lived series spawned an Academy Award nominated film and a TV show...
Episode 34 - Two Fists Full of Dollar (Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar)
01 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Academy Award winner Edmond O'Brien starred for two years as Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and brought a hard-boiled intensity to the role of "America's ...
Episode 33 - Second Helping of Spade (Adventures of Sam Spade)
24 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
It's a full serving of Dashiell Hammett's legendary private eye Sam Spade on this week's hour-long episode. First, Howard Duff is Spade in "The Laza...
Episode 32 - One Riot, One Ranger (Tales of the Texas Rangers)
17 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Saddle up and head west with Joel McCrea as Ranger Jayce Pearson in Tales of the Texas Rangers. This mix of Western adventure and police procedural ...
Episode 31 - Diamond in the Rough (Johnny Dollar & Richard Diamond)
10 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
We're saluting Dick Powell for his birthday with an hour of radio mystery starring this crooner turned hardboiled star. First, Powell stars as "the ...
Episode 30 - Ten a Day and Expenses (Jeff Regan, Investigator)
03 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Webb dons his hardboiled hat again as Jeff Regan, Investigator. In this short-lived series, Webb stars as Regan, private eye and operative for ...
Episode 29 - Tales Well Calculated: Old Time Radio Halloween (Suspense)
30 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Enjoy this Halloween treat featuring an hour of "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" - Suspense! First, Robert Taylor rents "The House in Cypres...
Episode 28 - Marlowe Meets Marlowe (Adventures of Philip Marlowe)
27 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
It's another adventure of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, and one that features both of the actors who starred as Marlowe in weekly radio series: V...
Episode 27 - When Man Hunts Man (Pursuit)
20 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
We're heading across the pond this week for an episode of CBS' Scotland Yard police procedural Pursuit. Ted de Corsia stars as Inspector Peter Black...
Episode 26 - Order in the Court (Defense Attorney)
13 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Our star this week was called "the world's greatest living radio actress" by Orson Welles. She's Academy Award winner Mercedes McCambridge, and we'l...
Episode 25 - Protecting the Innocent (Dragnet)
06 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The story you're about to hear is true. It's Jack Webb's legendary police procedural Dragnet, bringing actual Los Angeles Police Department cases to...
Episode 24 - Art Imitates Life (Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator)
29 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
William Gargan played several detectives on radio and television, and he could draw from his real-life experience as a private eye for his characters....
Episode 23 - Enemy to Those Who Make Him an Enemy (Boston Blackie)
22 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Chester Morris reprises his screen role as Boston Blackie, reformed safe cracker turned sleuth, who operates outside of the law but always to help the...
Episode 22 - Photo Finish (Casey, Crime Photographer)
15 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Stop the presses! This week, we'll hear Staats Cotsworth as Casey, Crime Photographer - ace cameraman and amateur sleuth. Listen as Casey fights c...
Episode 21 - Armchair Detection (Ellery Queen)
08 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Match wits with master detective Ellery Queen and see if you can solve the mystery before he reveals the solution. We're breaking the fourth wall th...
Episode 20 - Innocent, Vagrant, Thief, Murderer (The Line-Up)
01 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The Line-Up, one of radio's finest police procedurals, takes listeners behind the scenes of the San Francisco Police Department as its determined dete...
Episode 19 - As Deserted as a Warm Bottle of Beer (Pat Novak For Hire)
25 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Radio detectives don't come more hard-boiled than Pat Novak For Hire. Jack Webb stars in one of his first big radio hits as a character who is anyth...
Episode 18 - Got the World on a String (Rocky Fortune)
18 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Ol' Blue Eyes is back! Frank Sinatra stars in Rocky Fortune, as a "footloose and fancy free young gentleman" whose odd jobs always seem to lead to t...
Episode 17 - Danger is My Stock in Trade (Let George Do It)
11 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Before he itemized an expense account as Johnny Dollar, Bob Bailey solved radio mysteries in Let George Do It. Freelance sleuth George Valentine fin...
Episode 16 - Lonesomest Mile in the World (Broadway is My Beat)
04 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Detective Danny Clover patrols the Great White Way in Broadway is My Beat, one of radio's greatest police procedurals and one of the last great dramas...
Episode 15 - Hot, Dry Santa Ana (Adventures of Philip Marlowe)
28 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In honor of Raymond Chandler's birthday, we'll hear an episode featuring his legendary private eye, Philip Marlowe. Van Heflin stars as Marlowe in a...
Episode 14 - Up on Cloud Eight (Rogue's Gallery)
21 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Before he crooned as Richard Diamond, Dick Powell cracked cases as private investigator Richard Rogue on Rogue's Gallery. We'll hear Powell in his f...
Episode 13 - Yukon 2-8209 (Candy Matson)
14 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
We welcome our first female detective to the show - San Francisco-based private eye Candy Matson! Natalie Masters stars as this smart, sassy sleuth ...
Episode 12 - Scale-Tipping Sleuth (The Fat Man)
07 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
J. Scott Smart stars as Brad Runyon, aka The Fat Man - "a fast-moving criminologist who tips the scales at 237 pounds!" This original radio creation...
Episode 11 - Reckless Red-Headed Irishman (New Adventures of Michael Shayne)
30 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
It's off to New Orleans for an adventure of one of radio's hardest-boiled private eyes - Brett Halliday's two-fisted red-head Michael Shayne. Jeff C...
Episode 10 - Stories Start in Many Different Ways (Night Beat)
23 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we'll walk the streets of Chicago after dark, tagging along with Frank Lovejoy on Night Beat. Lovejoy stars as reporter Randy Stone, who ...
Episode 9 - Care of Star-Times (Box 13)
16 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Alan Ladd stars as mystery writer (and amateur sleuth) Dan Holiday in Box 13. Join him as he seeks inspiration for his novels, and usually gets more...
Episode 8 - Faster than a Speeding Bullet (Adventures of Superman)
12 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Superman flies back to the big screen this week, and we're celebrating with a bonus episode of "Down These Mean Streets." We'll hear the Man of Stee...
Episode 7 - The Game's Afoot (New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)
09 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
It's back to Baker Street for an adventure of the world's most famous detective - Sherlock Holmes! John Stanley is Holmes and, as Dr. Watson, Alfred...
Episode 6 - The Robin Hood of Modern Crime (The Saint)
02 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Before Roger Moore and Val Kilmer wore halos, Vincent Price patrolled the airwaves as Simon Templar, The Saint. Today we'll hear this debonair detec...
Episode 5 - Action-Packed Expense Account (Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar)
26 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
As Johnny Dollar, "America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator," Bob Bailey itemizes another expense account and sums up "The Big Scoop Matter...
Episode 4 - The Gargantuan Gourmet (New Adventures of Nero Wolfe)
19 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Nero Wolfe is on the case...just don't ask him to leave his house! Sydney Greensteet is Wolfe and Lamont Johnson is Archie Goodwin in "The Case of t...
Episode 3 - Radio's Singing Gumshoe (Richard Diamond, Private Detective)
12 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Sing along with Dick Powell as Richard Diamond, Private Detective in "Convict Louis Spence Escapes," first broadcast on NBC on March 5, 1950.
Episode 2 - Crime is a Sucker's Road (Adventures of Philip Marlowe)
05 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's hard-hitting, hard-boiled mystery with Gerald Mohr as Philip Marlowe in "The Hairpin Turn," first broadcast on CBS on January 28, 1950...
Episode 1 - Spadework (Adventures of Sam Spade)
28 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
We kick things off with "the greatest private detective of them all," Sam Spade. Hear Howard Duff as Spade in "The Apple of Eve Caper," first broadc...